GOD OF RESTORATION

(8-minute read)

More people now are involved in the circular economy, forming online and offline communities that are committed to extend the use-life of many products. Instead of being discarded, preloved products are refurbished to like-new condition, repurposed and eventually rehomed with a new lease of life.

Like used  products, we, too, can sometimes be made to feel like we have reached the end of our useful life when life wears us out, making us feel defeated, depleted and devalued. But let us not forget that God is big in restoring what seems to have no life and no hope for change.

Jesus couldn’t have made it clearer, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). The Enemy will tell the empty-nester, You have expired your purpose as a parent. He will tell the older job-seeker and the retiree, You are over the hill and have no value. He will instill anxiety in mature ministers and leaders so that they will be too afraid to step into God’s new calling. He will whisper to anyone who’s alone, You are nothing to anyone. The enemy of our soul will do whatever he can to devalue us so that we will not only downplay ourselves, but also avoid making meaningful connections with other believers in the body-life, and withdraw from engagement with society altogether. 

In truth, with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, what is broken or hopeless doesn’t need to stay that way. Our experience of brokenness may reveal deficiencies on an individual or  systemic level that need to be addressed. And we can trust God to bring restoration both on our inside and in our situations.

1 Kings 17:17-24 offers us a timeless reminder of how God can turn around dead-end situations for unimaginable outcomes. We see the prophet Elijah on the run after he obeyed God and prophesied drought over Israel. Later on, God directed him to find sustenance from a widow who was in a worse state than himself! In fact, she was left with only food for one meal for just herself and her young son. It leaves one wondering if God had gravely miscalculated the realities on the ground!

However, Elijah prophesied, “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.” (1 Kings 17:14). And God did not disappoint them as “there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.” (1 Kings 17:15).

But the story did not end there; it continued with more twists and turns that kept both Elijah and the widow guessing what God was thinking! Through it, though, we can see God’s power of restoration working in 3 areas:

THE RESTORATION OF LIFE

As the story continued, we see that instead of improving, the situation went south and another crisis surfaced.

“Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing.” (1 Kings 17:17). 

The boy who was rescued from starvation died of an illness. Scripture does not downplay the son’s rapid decline. He was sick and instead of getting better, he got worse. It is a grave mistake for believers to perpetuate half-truths by persistently downplaying difficult situations and negative reports either to avoid conflict or appearing critical. They are sure that putting a positive spin will strengthen their faith in God, and make God look good to others! In reality, describing difficulties does not make them worse; and keeping silent does not help towards addressing problems and working towards the necessary change. 

So here’s the unadorned fact about the boy in the story: he died. He was dead. Snuffed out. When a candle is snuffed out, there is no more fire, it stops burning and it no longer lights up. When the boy died, it was like his life was “extinguished, snuffed out like a wick” (Isaiah 43:16-17). (Up to this time, God had not yet brought any dead person back to life.)

Yet, even as dead as a doornail, “Elijah returned the boy back to his mom and said, ‘Look, your son is alive!” (1 Kings 17:19-23). Colour returned to the boy. Hope returned to his mother. God effectively restored life to both the young son and to his mother that day.

The enemy will tell you, It is dead. (What’s the point of flogging a dead horse.) 

But God will say, Look, it is alive!

And God has the final say.

Whatever looks like a dead-end today is, in all probability, a dead-end that offers no hope of progress or change to you. But God is not limited by dead-ends. He is an expert in restoring life to what appears stuck and dead. 

THE RESTORATION OF HOPE

The widow had grieved the loss of her husband, and now, she was mourning the loss of her only son. In fact, she experienced a third death when hope also dried up and died in her. 

Are you feeling hopeless about a certain situation right now? Looking at all the actors involved in your situation, it may seem as though any improvement is hard to fathom. Are you struggling to picture a different reality than what lies before you? The Enemy will not give up trying to snuff you out and take you down; but God promises to renew your strength as you vest your hope in Him. (Isaiah 46:4). 

Isaiah 40:31 assures us that “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” This is a depiction of motion, yet it involves recovery in God. Just as we recharge when we rest, God renews our strength when we set our hope on Him. It is important to know that hope does not lead to inertia but strengthens us to take risks and do whatever we can with whatever we have. At the same time, we cannot think that we can manufacture hope by running after this or that person, and this or that opportunity. God Himself will set us up in situations where we will soar over difficulties, we will run towards problems that we are positioned to address, and we will walk in courage and not give up. The Lord and Saviour of our souls will lift us up so that we will not be overwhelmed as we continue to wait and hope in Him.

Hope says that God will enable us to finish the course we are on – no matter what it takes. 

RESTORATION OF TRUTH

Facts are not opinions. They are the different perspectives we all have about something. Describing things as they are makes it possible to get the right resources and the change that is needed. Wherever we put an overly optimistic spin on uncomfortable facts, we are avoiding the truths that need to be addressed for improvements to happen.

Without calling out mountains of discrimination that exist (in society and even the church), we will miss the opportunity to bring them to God and see the transformation He will bring about.

Without addressing the lack of progress, we cannot be open to changes that foster growth.

After the widow’s son died, she fell into despair and her opinion of Elijah changed. She accused him of not caring when she stopped considering the facts that had unfolded during the famine, and instead, let her current emotional state influence her opinion of him.

“What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?’ 

In his desperation, Elijah, in turn, put the blame on God, accusing Him of not caring enough, “Have You brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?”

But God’s Truth transcends being misunderstood by us, and outlives our ignorance! When we are facing immense uncertainty and feeling fearful, it is easy to accuse God and people for not caring. Yet, the truth of who God is will always prevail. 

After Elijah carried the child and returned him to his grieving mother, God restored to her the right perspective about Elijah’s heart and character. She instantly declared, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth.’ (1 Kings 17:23-24). 

Let us be very careful not to let our emotions cloud the truth about who God is. There is absolutely no conflict in letting God know how we are feeling about something, and also holding on to the truth about who He is. 

This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 8 February 2025.